Allen Chastanet says the high cost of travel makes sea transport a more viable alternative for people and cargo. - File

St. Lucia's Tourism Minister Allen Chastanet has called for the introduction of a viable fast ferry service to meet the transportation needs of the region, saying it could move higher volumes of travellers at cheaper cost.

Chastanet also told Caribbean Media Corporation that, more important, a ferry service would be able to carry the volume of cargo that the airlines are incapable of accommodating.

"This is definitely a venture we have to begin to look at as a region, especially in light of a significant increase in the cost of air fares brought on by the LIAT/Caribbean Star merger," Chastanet said.

The merged entity begins operation February 1.

Barbados has been examining a proposal for the introduction of such a facility in time for Cricket World Cup.

Chastanet said potential investors have been coming up with various proposals for the start-up of a regional service.

"It is my honest belief that a fast ferry service is a must, if only for the furtherance of economic stimulation and trade in support of the CSME (CARICOM Single Market and Economy). To get cargo moved between St. Lucia and Trinidad, for instance, has been a problem for everyone," he said.

Chastanet, a hotel owner and former airline executive, sees the future of the region's transportation sector more in sea travel than air, saying that flying was proving too expensive for Caribbean people.

The position complements that of his boss Prime Minister Sir John Compton who, during the recent election that swept him to power, had signalled he would introduce a fast ferry service linking St. Lucia with the neighbouring islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada to promote trade.